The way we learn to overcome sin is to walk in the light. The message from John in this passage is that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. When we walk in the dark (a separate life from Jesus) our life will be a struggle, with no hope for our future. To walk in the light is to follow and obey Jesus and confess our sins. When we fellowship with Jesus, we see more easily our own shortcomings and sin. Confession of our sins keeps us walking in the light. If we don't do this, are we really walking in the light with Jesus?

From where do you gain your confidence for your life beyond this one? In today's passage Paul uses dwelling and clothing metaphors to compare the temporal and the eternal and helps us to see things the way God does. He answers some challenging questions about what it looks like to live with the hope that God has promised us in the midst of difficult circumstances right now, and to be motivated to carry out God's mission in spite of them.

Solomon reminds us at the beginning of Proverbs that this book is for "gaining wisdom and instruction". At the end of this book Solomon decribes the attributes of the wife of noble character. But is this passage about what a wife should do to please her husband and family? No, it is more about what we as people need to do to please God! In God's eyes, marriage is husbands and wives complementing each other and not competing against each other. Marriage should be about love, about submission, about leading, about unity, about working together, and to fear and have faith in God. To fear God is to see Him as He really is - righteous and holy, and to recognise who we are - sinful and not worthy of Him. The fear we have of God should not drive us away from Him, but draw us closer to Him.

Nabal, a Calebite, was very wealthy but was a man who was very mean in his dealings. His wife Abigail was in complete contrast to Nabal. She was an intelligent woman who was approachable, understanding and quick thinking. This was shown when one of the servants tells Abigail what Nabal has done to offend David. Her response was immediate and deliberate in making amends for Nabal's mistake. In Abigail's meeting with David she shows that she is wise and God fearing. In her speech to David she highlights key attributes of God that are critical to David's well being, as well as our own, in that God provides the direction, protection, correction and completion in our lives. Abigail shows true servanthood, even when David invites her to become his wife after the death of Nabal. Abigail was willing to do what was required of her by God. God invites us to one His servants. Are we willing to do what He requires of us?

Ruth is a short book tucked away between Judges and 1 Samuel that tells one of the most deeply touching stories in the whole Bible. It is not first and foremost a love story however. It is the story of God on mission to bring back people to Himself. The story of Ruth is a beautiful picture of this redemption. Ruth was a widow and foreigner, living in a strange land. Circumstances had reduced her to a life of poverty. She was an outcast, destitute and needy, and she could not save herself. She needed her life redeemed. Really Ruth's story is that of every person in this world. It foreshadows the life of Jesus, who entered this world to become our kinsman-redeemer and to buy us back to God.